At this point I just wish they’d stop with the New Republic scenes. They have been so frustratingly underwhelming (just to me):
Caston said:
New Republic laziness and ineptitude yet again? (and the writing for the New Republic too!)
Mon Mothma: “Do you have Morgan Elsbeth?”
Hera (instead): Nearly, we just missed them. If your Senators hadn’t delayed us last time, we’d have like caught them in time - and both Morgan Elsbeth and the Dark Jedi would likely be in our custody.
Mon Mothma: “Do you have evidence of Imperial Remnant?”
Hera (instead): Yes. The two Dark Jedi that boarded a New Republic ship, killed many of the crew and freed the prisoner Morgan Elsbeth (who previously gave up information about Thrawn to Ahsoka) have just been missed; but we know they are using a high powered Hyperspace Ring to apparently go find Thrawn. The same Hyperspace Ring whose engine parts were supplied by Imperial Remnant or those loyal to the Empire (and announce themselves as such: “For the Empire!”), whose location we found out about from the memory cell of a droids sent by those Dark Jedi. Our ships’ sensors have readouts of that Hyperspace Ring and we also have testimony of the New Republic pilots. In 5 minutes: Ahsoka is going to follow the two Dark Jedi and Morgan to the next galaxy over, using these Hyperspace traveling “StarWhales”. The same “StarWhales” we know that took Thrawn and Ezra disappeared years ago during The Battle of Lothal; a well known Rebel engagement vs the Empire, and mention of these “StarWhales” can also found in the Jedi Archives. Luke may be interested in this y’know; Thrawn, Imperial Remnant, Dark Jedi, missing Jedi, Force-attuned “StarWhales” with long history of hyperspace abilities. Why am I answering these insipid questions to you? Have you been hit on the head or taking some stupid pills since Andor? Why are you acting like this? Oh, you’re now an ancillary character in a Filoni series. Filoni… of course. Got it.
Mon Mothma: “You and Ahsoka Tano are to return to Coruscant with the Fleet. The Senate oversight Committee is going to determine whether your command should be germanely suspended. You are going to need her testimony to help you. And yes, I too wish the scenes with the New Republic were written not as an afterthought with little substance, weight, or realism, and lacking in awareness of the past events. Has anyone seen Tony Gilroy? (Just asking for a friend).”
continuing on in episode 7: at Hera’s court-martial hearing on Coruscant…
Senator Xiono: “An incident [on Seatos]? Yes. But this report reads like a child’s fairy tale. Jedi, False Jedi, star maps, star whales, distant galaxies. Honestly, are we to believe any of it?”
(No holo-recordings on Rebel ships boarded by the Dark Jedi?, or autopsies of New Republic officers killed by the Dark Jedis’ lightsabers? Ahsoka is a Jedi - does he not believe it? Perhaps he should go ask Luke? Star maps and star whales: they were present when Thrawn disappeared at the Battle of Lothal, and have been seen again taking Ahsoka to the place where Thrawn and Ezra ended up. What is like “a child’s fairy tale” about this again? Other than the writing for New Republic Government scenes? Mon Mothma hasn’t aged a day since the events of Andor; some 14-15 years ago, despite all she has been through, and ended up leading the New Republic itself, in post-Empire times. Her skin regime is strong).
Hera: “Morgan Elsbeth was leading a coordinated effort by the Imperial Remnant.”
Senator Xiono: “Objection. “Imperial Remnant” Such a sensational term. There is no proof of any coordination between the scattered and dwindling numbers of Imperial forces.”
Captain Teva: “What about the droid attack on the wookiees? What about the conflict on Mandalore?”
Senator Xiono: “Exactly my point. Gideon was a warlord acting on his own. There is no proof of a greater conspiracy and thus no immediate threat to this Republic.”
(2 important prisoners freed from Republic custody with proven links to Imperial Remnant. Secret bases built on Mandalore, high tech Mandalorian suits of armour, cloning, force ability experiments etc. All the work of one wanted and escaped Imperial Warlord operating outside his prior ‘allocated space’. All the quoted text above. Is all this intentional, or merely taking the viewer for idiots?)
Hera: “If Thrawn returns, that will change quickly.”
Senator Xiono: [Scoffs] “If.”
Hera: “I don’t know what frightens me more, the possibility of what might happen, or your unwillingness to see it.”
Senator Xiono: “I’ll tell you what I see. I see a General who abuses her authority for personal gain, and I will not stand for it. I motion that General Syndulla be court-martialled for disobeying a direct order.”
Enter Deus Ex 3PO with Leia cover reasons.
I feel better after that unhinged rambling! It is just so disappointing to see the New Republic Govt continued to be written and shown in this way, including in the Sequels too. Yes, the cycle of “rise and fall”, the “threat of danger” and all that. Yet the lazy way the New Republic Govt are being written and portrayed, to me, is a disservice to what came before, for what the Rebellion we’ve seen in many forms over time, including the OT, fought for. It even jars compared to, or appears in, some average Star Wars content such as Ahsoka. Andor proved that the more political or bureaucratic scenes can be done well, be illustrative and engaging, even to the point of wanting to see more. Intriguing characters, with compelling and clever story arcs. So why not anything approaching this for in the New Republic Govt setting too?
Is there a “New Republic Government” or “New Republic Era” thread on here I can tut to myself in, or go vent in? So I can just shut myself up in here? 😉
A few queries re episode 7:
The Night Sisters can pinpoint Ahsoka’s location, but not Ezra’s location? Was there a reason for this I missed?
What were Ezra and Sabine doing to warrant the attention of Baylan and Shin again, the Samurai Raiders, and then the Night Troopers? What would have happened if the Raiders and Imps hadn’t engaged them, and taken those losses? We’ve been told about Thrawn the tactical genius plenty of times, and yet he still hasn’t managed to kill Ezra despite all the forces at his disposal and also the night sister magic, in 10 years? I think I’ve missed something and need to re-watch the episode?
We are then sold this fight as a tactical win for Thrawn? Thrawn claims “time” is important here. What were Ezra and Sabine going to do otherwise? Weren’t they just simply riding away with the Noti in the other direction? Why do the Night Troopers remain so loyal to Thrawn that they chant his name in hangar bays when he appears, when he is willing to sacrifice them, (and their fellow solider before them?) in quite needless skirmishes like this? It doesn’t quite add up, and more of those oft-used “Show, don’t tell” issues that frequent Star Wars. Such use was more accepted when it was on a budget, with the tight shooting deadlines of years ago, but now? Not so much.
(Ezra and Sabin update each other about recent events off-screen, with just some minor quips on-screen? That was a little disappointing, I thought they could have had some fun with that, a lot of fun yet also poignant material.)
Why do the Night Troopers not fire when Shin orders them to “Fire!” at Ezra and Sabine? And wait for a second or two instead? Why does Shin and Ahsoka just stand there doing nothing while we see other action scenes taking place in the circled wagon scenes, and then the camera cuts back to both of them, still just standing there looking at each other? Is this another editing issue like the gap between Ahsoka interrupting Huyang on the ship in the space battle? This can be difficult to catch, given the number of pauses in dialogue (and also staring into space) for this series.
These are minor gripes and issues. It was an okay episode overall, New Republic Govt section apart. Shin and Baylan still stand out as being the highlight of the series so far. I liked the mention of Ventress, but a pity there is still no love for Dirge! That last episode next week has a lot of work to do. It would appear this season 5 of Rebels has been mostly set-up for the Filoni film, or maybe a season 2 of Ahsoka, or merge with The Mandalorian season 4, before then?
